Cell Phone Case

ABSTRACT

A modular case for a mobile device is formed by providing a hard shell layer within a soft overmold layer. The soft overmold layer preferably lines both an inner and an outer surface of the hard shell layer so as to both protect the mobile device from scratches and to distribute any impact forces to the case across the surface of the soft overmold layer. The hard shell layer generally has multiple sets of injection mold ports so that when the soft overmold layer is formed over the hard shell layer, the soft overmold layer threads through the injection ports, providing an interlocking union of the two layers.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The field of the invention is cell phone cases

BACKGROUND

It is known in the art to use mobile devices to conveniently access and manipulate data, view multimedia files and presentations, make phone calls, and access wireless networks. As used herein, a “mobile device” includes, among other things, laptops, portable media players (i.e. mp3 players and projectors), and cellular phones. The more portable a computer, however, the more susceptible the computer is to receiving damage from being dropped or being otherwise mishandled.

Protective cases have long been used for mobile devices. U.S. Pat. No. 4,294,496 to Murez discloses a mobile device having a hard outer metallic shell that protects the delicate computer screen and keyboard from damage by folding the screen and keyboard against one another. However, surrounding each computer's user interface within a hard metallic shell increases the time it takes for a user to access the user interface and reduces response time when a user needs to access the computer. Murez and all other extrinsic materials discussed herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. Where a definition or use of a term in an incorporated reference is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply.

Unless the context dictates the contrary, all ranges set forth herein should be interpreted as being inclusive of their endpoints, and open-ended ranges should be interpreted to include commercially practical values. Similarly, all lists of values should be considered as inclusive of intermediate values unless the context indicates the contrary.

US20090302799 to Marquet teaches a rigid case for a mobile telephone that substantially surrounds the entire body of the mobile phone, but leaves the keyboard and screen of the phone exposed so that a user could easily access buttons on the phone. However, if a user drops Marquet's case in a way where the front of the phone hits the ground, the screen could crack or become otherwise damaged easily.

US20100302716 to Ganhdi teaches a rigid case for a mobile telephone that extends slightly from a surface of the screen to prevent the screen from being damaged if the phone falls face-down on a flat surface. When the phone hits a flat surface, the extending portions of the case will hit the ground first, protecting the phone from suffering damage through a direct impact with the ground. However, since Ganhdi's case is rigid, the mobile phone could still suffer damage through an indirect impact of impact forces traveling through the surface of the rigid case into the phone itself.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,933,122 to Richardson teaches a protective case for a mobile telephone having three layers of protection: (1) an inner flexible membrane layer that holds the computer, (2) a hard shell cover layer over the flexible membrane, and (3) an outer flexible cushion layer that wraps around the hard shell cover. This allows the protective case to protect further against damage to the mobile telephone by allowing the outer flexible cushion layer and the inner flexible membrane layer to distribute an impact force while the hard shell cover layer prevents the case from substantially deforming during such an impact. Richardson's case, however, is difficult to put together and is extremely cumbersome to enclose over the mobile phone.

Thus, there is still a need for improved mobile device cases that are easier to manufacture and are easier to use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It has yet to be appreciated that a mobile device case could be constructed by injection-molding a soft overmold layer around a hard shell layer through injection mold ports disposed about surfaces of the hard shell layer, interdigitating the soft and hard shells into a single case having the distributive properties of a soft case as well as the deform-resistant properties of a hard case.

The present invention provides apparatus and methods in which a case for a mobile device protects the mobile device by providing a hard shell layer having injection mold ports disposed about at least one surface and a soft overmold layer mechanically coupled to the hard shell layer via injection-molded protrusions of the overmold layer extending through at least one of the injection molded ports. As used herein, a “hard shell layer” means a material different from the soft overmold layer which has a Young's modulus higher than the soft overmold layer. In other words, the hard shell layer is more rigid than the soft overmold layer.

The hard shell layer preferably comprises a rigid thermoplastic polymer, such as a polycarbonate material, having a Young's modulus of at least 10, 20, 30, 40, or 50. Generally, the hard shell layer also has one, two, three, or more sets injection mold ports disposed along several surfaces, such as opposing surfaces of two walls that wrap around opposing sides of the mobile device, or orthogonal walls that cradle a corner of the mobile device. In an exemplary embodiment, each wall of the hard shell layer has at least one set of injection mold ports to maximize the mechanical coupling between the hard shell layer and the soft overmold layer. The hard shell layer preferably comprises at least three walls orthogonal to one another to cover a corner of the mobile device. As used herein, a “set” of injection mold ports comprises a bank of similarly-shaped ports along a line drawn across a surface of the hard shell layer. Such injection mold ports could be sized or shaped in any suitable manner to allow for the soft overmold layer to thread through the port before solidifying, such as rectangular ports, square ports, cylindrical ports, pentagonal ports, ovoid ports, tear-shaped ports, star-shaped ports, and other regular or irregular shapes.

The soft overmold layer preferably covers both an interior surface and an exterior surface of the hard shell layer. As used herein, an “interior surface” faces the mobile device when the mobile device is housed within the case, and an “exterior surface” faces away from the mobile device when the mobile device is housed within the case. If the soft overmold layer was only on an exterior portion of the case, then the rigid hard shell layer could scratch or otherwise damage a surface of the mobile device when the case suffers from an impact collision. If the soft overmold layer was only on an interior portion of the case, then the soft overmold layer would not be able to distribute as much impact force. By providing a soft overmold layer which covers portions of both the interior and the exterior surface, the elastic properties of the soft overmold layer will exteriorly distribute force received from an exterior impact, and will also interiorly distribute force delivered to the mobile device.

The soft overmold layer preferably comprises an elastomeric material such as rubber or a thermoplastic elastomer. In a preferred embodiment, the soft overmold layer is a Versaflex™ alloy provided by PolyOne™ GLS. The elastomeric material preferably has a Durometer rating of no greater than 50, 40, 30, or 20, and preferably has a Durometer rating of no greater than 25.

The soft overmold layer is generally mechanically coupled with the hard shell layer via injection-molded protrusions that thread through different sets of injection mold ports in the hard shell layer. Although, the process could conceivably be reversed, where the hard shell layer is threaded through sets of injection ports within the soft overmold layer. In one embodiment, the soft overmold layer forms mushroom-shaped protrusions which can not be pulled back through the injection mold ports without tearing or otherwise permanently deforming the soft overmold layer. In another embodiment, the soft overmold layer wraps completely around a wall of the hard shell layer and threads through the injection mold port to meet with itself In either case, the soft overmold layer preferably covers common high-impact sights around the exterior wall of the hard shell layer, such as the corners, and preferably comprises at least one raised wall or rib that projects from a surface of the hard shell layer. In a preferred embodiment, the soft overmold layer is distributed along each exterior surface of the hard shell layer such that when the case is placed on a surface in any orientation or direction, no part of the hard shell layer touches the surface upon which the case is placed.

A ferromagnetic material could be coupled to the hard shell layer, the soft overmold layer, or to both layers to allow for the case to be magnetically coupled to a separate ferromagnetic surface. As used herein, a “ferromagnetic material” is one that is attracted to magnets, and could be magnetized, but is not necessarily a magnet in and of itself Preferably, the ferromagnetic material coupled to the case is not a magnet itself, so as to protect the mobile device case from magnetic waves. Furthermore, the ferromagnetic material is preferably shaped as a plate so as to shunt a magnetic field emanating from magnets attached to the ferromagnetic surface. As used herein, a material shaped as a “plate” is one having a width more than 5 times thinner than its length and/or height. Preferably, the ferromagnetic plate is rectangular-shaped, although other plate shapes are contemplated without departing from the scope of the invention.

Since ferromagnetic materials tend not to absorb impact very well, the ferromagnetic material is preferably mounted within a recess of the case in order to prevent the ferromagnetic material from being exposed to an impact if the case is dropped upon a hard surface. The ferromagnetic material is preferably made out of a reflective steel so as to provide a surface that doubles as a mirror for the user.

Using such a mounting, the case could then be mounted to any magnet via the ferromagnetic material. As used herein, a “magnet” is any material that produces a magnetic field, whether a naturally induced magnetic field, such as those produced by neodymium, or an electrically induced magnetic field. Such magnets could be conveniently coupled to a variety of convenient non-ferromagnetic surfaces as temporary mounts for the mobile device case, such as the dashboard of a car, a tabletop, a briefcase, a wall, or a portion of a user's clothing. In an exemplary embodiment, the magnet is coupled to a surface using a permanent adhesive, such as double-sided tape or glue. In another embodiment, the magnet is coupled to a surface using a temporary coupling mechanism, such as a suction cup, a mating indent/detent, or a pair of magnets that wrap around the surface. In a preferred embodiment, where the ferromagnetic plate is located within a recess of the rear surface of the hard shell layer, a portion of the magnet is sized and dimensioned to mate with that recess.

In a preferred embodiment, the magnet comprises a rear magnetic plate and a front magnetic plate which could couple to a thin non-ferromagnetic material, such as a portion of a user's clothing, by placing the front magnetic plate on a front surface of the thin material, and the rear magnetic plate on a rear surface of the thin material. As used herein, a “thin material” is material that is thinner than the thickness of the case, and is more preferably thinner than half or a quarter of the thickness of the case. The gripping surface of the front and the rear magnetic plate could be lined with a plurality of blunt or sharpened projections or matching recesses/detents to help the front and rear magnetic plates grip to the thin material, especially where the thin material is flexible. Once the magnet is coupled to the thin material, the mobile device case could then be mounted to the thin non-ferromagnetic material by coupling the ferromagnetic plate to the front magnetic plate. In a preferred embodiment, where the ferromagnetic plate is located within a recess of the rear surface of the hard shell layer, the front magnetic plate is sized and dimensioned to mate with that recess.

The front magnetic plate and the rear magnetic plate could both comprise magnets of substantially similar strength, but could be made of magnets of differing strengths without departing from the scope of the current invention. Preferably, the front magnetic plate, rear magnetic plate, and ferromagnetic plate are all configured such that the magnetic force between the front magnetic plate and rear magnetic plate exceeds the magnetic force between the front magnetic plate and the rear magnetic plate—even when the front magnetic plate and rear magnetic plate are separated by the thin non-ferromagnetic material.

In some embodiments, a kickstand is coupled with a surface of the case in order to allow for the case to be propped up for viewing on a flat surface. Preferably, the kickstand is sized and disposed so as to prop up the case such that a screen of the mobile device is viewed at from an angle with respect to the flat surface upon which the case is propped up upon. The kickstand may be made from any suitable material, but is preferably made from a rigid material, such as polypropylene, or from the same material as the hard shell layer. The kickstand could further be sized and disposed so as to rest within a recess of the hard shell layer to allow the case to lay flat when the kickstand is not disposed. The kickstand could be removably coupled to hard shell layer using matching indents/detents or some other quick-snap mechanism, but could also be coupled to the hard shell layer using a living hinge.

Various objects, features, aspects and advantages of the inventive subject matter will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, along with the accompanying drawing figures in which like numerals represent like components.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of an exemplary hard shell layer.

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the hard shell layer of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a front exploded view of an exemplary case, showing a soft overmold layer, the hard shell layer of FIG. 1, and a ferromagnetic plate.

FIG. 4 is a rear exploded view of the exemplary case of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of the case of FIG. 3, having a transparent soft overmold layer.

FIG. 6 is a rear perspective view of the case of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the exemplary case separated from the mobile device.

FIG. 8 is a front perspective view of an exemplary case coupled with a mobile device.

FIG. 9 is a rear perspective view of the exemplary case of FIG. 8 coupled with a magnet mount.

FIG. 10 is an exploded view of the exemplary case of FIG. 10 separated from the magnet mount.

FIG. 11 is a rear perspective view of the exemplary magnet mount of FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is an exploded view of the exemplary magnet mount of FIG. 12, having a front magnet plate and a rear magnet plate.

FIG. 13 is an exploded view of the front magnet plate of FIG. 13.

FIG. 14 is an exploded view of the rear magnet plate of FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is an exploded view of the kickstand of the exemplary case of FIG. 10.

FIG. 16 is a rear perspective view of the exemplary case of FIG. 10 having the kickstand engaged in an upright position.

FIG. 17 is a front perspective view of the exemplary case of FIG. 10 having the kickstand engaged in a side position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As used herein, and unless the context dictates otherwise, the term “coupled to” is intended to include both direct coupling (in which two elements that are coupled to each other contact each other) and indirect coupling (in which at least one additional element is located between the two elements). Therefore, the terms “coupled to” and “coupled with” are used synonymously.

One should appreciate that the disclosed techniques provide many advantageous technical effects including integrally molding a soft overmold layer to a hard shell layer, providing soft protrusions from the soft overmold layer to prevent scratching or otherwise damaging the mobile device or the hard shell layer, providing an easy way to temporarily yet securely mount the mobile device to any surface using a magnetic mount, and providing methods to prop up a mobile device.

The following discussion provides many example embodiments of the inventive subject matter. Although each embodiment represents a single combination of inventive elements, the inventive subject matter is considered to include all possible combinations of the disclosed elements. Thus if one embodiment comprises elements A, B, and C, and a second embodiment comprises elements B and D, then the inventive subject matter is also considered to include other remaining combinations of A, B, C, or D, even if not explicitly disclosed.

FIG. 1 shows a hard shell layer 100 having left wall 110, right wall 120, rear wall 130, upper wall 140, and lower wall 150. Rear wall 130 has been overmolded to ferromagnetic plate 160 using tabs 137 such that ferromagnetic plate 160 is locked in place along three dimensional axis with respect to hard shell layer 100. Ferromagnetic plate 160 also has injection ports 164 and 162 which are left open to accept overmolding from a soft overmold layer (not shown).

Right wall 120 has a set of injection ports 122 along an axis of the wall which are sized and disposed to accept overmolding from a soft overmold layer (not shown). Left wall 110, conversely, has an upper section 112 and a lower section 114. While lower section 114 is substantially similar to right wall 120 by having a set of injection ports 115, upper section 112 has custom ports 113 which are customized to give access to a user interface of a particular mobile device through left wall 110. Upper wall 140 and lower wall 150 have a shorter height than left wall 110 and right wall 120, and each has a set of injection ports 142 and 152, respectively.

Rear wall 130 has two sets of injection ports 131 and 132 which are placed along each side of rear window 136. The rear side of each set of injection port has a ledged recess which is sized and disposed to accept a mushroom-shaped overmolding (not shown) from a soft overmold layer to help hold the layer in place against rear wall 130. Rear wall 130 also has a custom port 133 that is custom-made to give access to a user interface of the mobile device (not shown). While each of the left wall 110, right wall 120, rear wall 130, upper wall 140, and lower wall 150 have a set of injection ports 115, 122, 131, 142, and 152, respectively, more or less sets could be disposed on each wall without departing from the scope of the invention.

Rear wall 130 also has windows 136 and 138 which form recesses when overmolded upon ferromagnetic plate 160. The recesses are sized and disposed to accept a magnet (not shown) and a kickstand (not shown) so that each of the magnet and kickstand could rest within the recess and not significantly project outwards from the rear surface of rear wall 130. Rear wall 130 also has upper lanyard holes 134 and lower lanyard holes 135 which allow a user to thread a small lanyard thread through either the upper holes or the lower holes to attach hard shell layer 100 to a lanyard (not shown). By placing a plurality of lanyard holes within hard shell layer 100, the case is configured to be attached to a lanyard in multiple directions.

In FIGS. 3 and 4, an exploded view of the soft overmold layer 300, the hard shell layer 100, and the ferromagnetic plate 160 are shown, separated from one another. As explained above, hard shell layer 100 is generally overmolded over ferromagnetic plate 160 and is held in place within hard shell layer 100 via tabs 137 which line the left and right sides of a window in rear wall 130. Soft overmold layer 300 is then overmolded over both hard shell layer 100 and ferromagnetic plate 160 and interlocks with hard shell layer 100 in several areas.

The left wall 310 of soft overmold layer 300 interlocks with each of the injection ports 115 by threading through each of the injection ports. Thus, between each hole 316 in wall 310, under each set of gripping detents 317, lies one of injection ports 115 which provides an interlocking segment. Soft volume control buttons 313 also project through one of custom ports 113 to provide access to a volume control user interface buttons on the mobile device itself (not shown). The right wall 320 also interlocks with the set of injection ports 122 by threading through each injection port in the areas between each of the ports 322 under sets of gripping detents (not shown) similar to gripping detents 317. Upper wall 240 has upper projections 342 which thread through injection ports 142 while lower wall 250 has lower projections 252 that thread through injection ports 152. Rear wall 330 of soft overmold layer has two sets of mushroom-shaped projections 331 and 332 which thread through each set of injection ports 131 and 132, respectively, to hold soft overmold layer 300 against rear wall 130. It should be noted that soft overmold layer 300 also has a projection 362 which threads through injection port 162 in ferromagnetic plate 160.

The threading between hard shell layer 100 and soft overmold layer 300 is better illustrated through FIGS. 5 and 6, which show views of the hard shell layer 100 integrated with a transparent soft overmold layer 300.

Use of an exemplary case with a mobile device is illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, where case 700 is shown mating with mobile device 800. Mobile device 800 is shown here euphemistically as a cellular phone device, however other mobile devices are contemplated, such as laptops, tablets, audio players, and PDA devices. Case 700 has soft projections 710, 720, and 730 extending from all corners and flat surfaces of the case to prevent either the hard shell layer 750 of the case or the mobile device 800 from being scratched if case 700 were to fall upon a flat surface. Mobile device 800 has a user interface 802 representing a volume control which is accessible through case 700 through soft buttons 702, which allow a tactile input through the soft overmold layer to be transmitted to user interface 802. Mobile device 800 also has a user interface 804 represented as a button which is accessible through a window formed in hard shell layer 750, and mobile device 800 has a user interface 806 represented as a touch screen which is freely accessible via a user by not being covered by a case at all. Although user interface 806 is not covered by case 700, user interface 806 is still protected via projections 730 should the case ever fall upon a flat surface on that side of the case.

Case 700 could also be configured to mate with magnet 900 as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 by providing an exposed ferromagnetic plate 760. Magnet 900 also has lanyard holes 910 and 920 which allow case 700 to be removably coupled to a lanyard for convenience. Magnet 900 also has removable backing 930 which could be removed to expose an adhesive surface which could be used to couple magnet 900 in a permanent manner to any of a variety of surfaces, such as a table top, a wall, or a car dashboard. While magnet 900 is currently shown as projecting slightly from the rear surface of case 700 when in its mated position, magnet 900 could be configured with a thinner thickness so as to be substantially flush with the rear surface of case 700 without departing from the scope of the invention. As used herein, “Substantially flush” means a surface which does not recess or project from another surface by more than 2 mm, and more preferably by no more than 1 mm.

In an exemplary embodiment, magnet 900 could be composed of two parts, rear magnetic plate 1100 and front magnetic plate 1200, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, which both work cooperatively to allow magnet 900 to couple to a non-ferromagnetic object (not shown) that is placed in between rear magnet 1100 and front magnet 1200. Contemplated non-ferromagnetic objects include clothing and wall partitions.

FIG. 13 shows rear magnetic plate 1100 having recesses 1110 and 1120 which couple to magnets 1130 and 1140, respectively. Mushroom-shaped 1112 and 1122 could be overmolded to magnets 1130 and 1140, although other coupling mechanisms could be used, such as adhesives or a recess comprising a ferromagnetic wall. Rear magnetic plate 1100 could also have gripping projections 1150 which could be used to provide additional grip to an intervening non-ferromagnetic surface disposed between rear magnetic plate 1100 and front magnetic plate 1200. Similar to rear magnetic plate 1100, FIG. 14 shows front magnetic plate 1200 having recesses 1210 and 1220, which both couple to magnets 1230 and 1240, respectively, using mushroom-shaped projections 1212 and 1222, respectively. Magnets 1130, 1140, 1230, and 1240 are preferably strong earth metal-type magnets, such as neodymium, but could be made from other magnetic material without departing from the scope of the invention. In an alternative embodiment, magnets 1130 and 1140 could be substituted with a ferromagnetic metal.

FIG. 15 shows an exploded view of an exemplary kickstand 1500 having a main body 1520 and a lock 1510. When lock 1510 is disengaged from main body 1520, the proximal end of main body 1520 could be squeezed, allowing projections 1524 to fit within recess 1610 in case 1600. Then, when kickstand 1500 is properly placed within recess 1610, projection 1512 could then be snapped into recess 1522 to lock projections 1524 in place, which then act as a hinge for kickstand 1500. In this manner, kickstand 1500 could be easily replaced should it get damaged or worn down in the future. By kickstand 1500 within 1, 2, or 3 cm from the edge of case 1600, kickstand 1500 could be used to prop case 1600 upright as shown in FIG. 16, or on its side as shown in FIG. 17.

It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that many more modifications besides those already described are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The inventive subject matter, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, in interpreting both the specification and the claims, all terms should be interpreted in the broadest possible manner consistent with the context. In particular, the terms “comprises” and “comprising” should be interpreted as referring to elements, components, or steps in a non-exclusive manner, indicating that the referenced elements, components, or steps may be present, or utilized, or combined with other elements, components, or steps that are not expressly referenced. Where the specification claims refers to at least one of something selected from the group consisting of A, B, C . . . and N, the text should be interpreted as requiring only one element from the group, not A plus N, or B plus N, etc. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A mobile device case comprising: a hard shell layer sized and dimensioned to at least partially encase a mobile device, and having injection mold ports disposed about surfaces of the hard shell layer; a soft overmold layer comprising an elastomeric material and mechanically coupled with the hard shell layer via injection molded protrusions of the soft overmold layer extending through at least two different sets of the injection mold ports; and wherein the least two sets of the injection mold ports are disposed on two different orthogonal surfaces of the hard shell layer.
 2. The mobile device case of claim 1, wherein the molded protrusions of the soft overmold layer extend through a third, different set of injection mold ports and wherein the third set of injection mold ports are disposed on a third surface orthogonal to the two different orthogonal surfaces of the hard shell layer.
 3. The mobile device case of claim 1, further comprising a ferromagnetic plate coupled with the hard shell layer and at least partially exposed via a recess within a rear surface of the hard shell layer.
 4. The mobile device case of claim 3, further comprising a magnetic mounting system comprising a rear magnetic plate and a front magnetic plate configured to magnetically couple with each other through an intervening a non-ferromagnetic material, wherein the front magnetic plate is configured to couple with the ferromagnetic plate.
 5. The mobile device case of claim 4 wherein the front plate is sized and dimensioned to mate with the recess within the rear surface of the hard shell layer.
 6. The mobile device case of claim 4, wherein the front plate is configured to magnetically attract the ferromagnetic plate with a force less than a coupling force between the front plate and the rear plate when the front plate and rear plate are separated by less than 0.5 centimeters of the non-ferromagnetic material.
 7. The mobile device case of claim 3, wherein the ferromagnetic plate substantially shields the mobile device from magnetic fields.
 8. The mobile device case of claim 1, wherein the hard shell layer comprises a polycarbonate material.
 9. The mobile device case of claim 1, wherein the elastomeric material comprises a thermal plastic elastomer.
 10. The mobile device case of claim 1, wherein the elastomeric material comprises a Durometer rating of no greater than 40 A.
 11. The mobile device case of claim 10, wherein the elastomeric material comprises a Durometer rating of no greater than 25 A.
 12. The mobile device case of claim 1, wherein the soft overmold layer covers corners of the mobile device and comprises a raised rib at a corner of the mobile device.
 13. The mobile device case of claim 1, further comprising a kickstand coupled with a rear surface of the hard shell layer.
 14. The mobile device case of claim 13, wherein the kick stand comprises polypropylene and a living hinge.
 15. The mobile device case of claim 1, wherein the hard shell layer comprises a lanyard connector. 